Sonny, Speak Now
by longlivetayswift
Summary: The minister raised his voice, "Anyone who is opposed to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." My heart was racing a million miles-per-hour. I forced my shakey body up. Everyone stared at me, but all I could see was you. "I do."
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Thanks for visiting my brand-new story, SPEAK NOW! It is based on the new Taylor Swift song, Speak Now, so if you listen to it, you'll get a little sneak peak at what is to come. Thanks again, and I'm so excited for this story!**

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny…you make my heart skip a beat every time I look at you." Chad said dreamily. I rolled my eyes. "Chad, that's really sweet of you, but we really need to make some decisions right now." He chuckled. "How can I focus, when today's our 1 year date-a-versary?" "Chad, I love you, but I'm serious….you need to help me decide on what color the balloons should be for the annual Condor Studios prom instead of talking all mushy!" I said, trying to suppress a smile. He shook his hands in front of his face. "Ok, ok, you win. Balloons now, Mushy-talk later." He's such a hopeless romantic!

"Good. Now, should the color scheme be blue and black, yellow and green, or purple and silver?" He started comically tapping his chin for dramatic effect. "Hmmm...Well, we can't go with yellow and green; those are too bright, and purple, silver, and black are too dramatic…" he said, thinking aloud. "Well, this is a TV studio, so it's not like a normal high school. Maybe we should go with something with more of a dramatic feel." I suggested.

"True, but didn't you say that we want to make them feel as normal as possible?" I sighed, realizing I had been defeated. "Touché. Well, what about blue and black?" I asked. "Sounds great to me." He agreed, shaking his head up and down, ever so slightly. "Well, then I guess we're having a Sock Hop Prom Night!" I exclaimed.

"So, we have the soda shop figured out, now on to the crepe paper streamers." I said, going through my mental shopping list, pushing the shopping cart through Party City with Tawni. "I don't know if we should go with streamers, Sonny. I mean, can't we go with something a little more _classy_,like diamonds hanging from the ceiling, or something?" she suggested. I thought for a second. "Well, maybe not _diamonds _but we could defiantly go with something similar, like….like twinkle lights!" I smiled at my perfect idea. "Oh, that would be pretty! Great idea!" She exclaimed. "Thanks! We'll just have to make a quick stop at Wal-Mart." Then we headed toward the checkout line. "Would you like to add on a metallic balloon weight for an extra dollar with your Bash-Stash savings card?" "No thanks." I said politely. Once the peppy cashier bagged all of the party supplies, along with many unnecessary comments about each item, they finally got out of Part City. "Ok, Tawn. Off to Wal-Mart!"


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe they didn't have twinkle lights!" I exclaimed as me and Tawni pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot in her pink convertible. "I know! I mean, why didn't the man in the big truck come today?" Tawni squeaked back. "Well, I think we may be able to find some in the Stage 4 basement. Chad told me that is where they keep all the set pieces." I reassured. Tawni gasped. "Stage 4! But that means we'd have to pass Ma- Ma- Ma-"I finished the sentence for her, "Mackenzie Falls! And aren't we over this yet?" I rolled my eyes at her. "Gosh, sorry! I still haven't gotten I still haven't gotten over the _shock _yet," She said dramatically, "but if it's for the welfare of the Prom committee, I guess that's a sacrifice I'll have to take." She finished with a nod of her head and a brave face.

"So do you want to go grab some pizza with me and the rest of the Randoms tonight?" Tawni asked. "Oh, sorry, me and Chad are going to that fancy new Thai place for our date-a-versary tonight." Tawni let out an over dramatic gasp. "Sonny! I can't believe you'd blow us off for _Chip Drama Pants_!" Then Tawni fake-fainted. Only one problem: she was driving. "TAWNI, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" I shrieked as I grabbed the steering wheel. I heard a thousand horns beeping all around us.

You know, it's funny that she practically acted like nothing happened, when we could've died. She made a funny face at me. "Well, sorry! I was just trying to make my point!" She said in an annoyed voice.

"Uh, Tawni?"

"Yes?"

"WE COULD'VE DIED!"

"But we didn't." she retorted. I was really annoyed now.

"But we could've."

"But we didn't."

"Ugh, whatever."

3

"Hey, there's M'lady and her friend! Welcome, M'lady, Shawni." Chad said excitedly as he opened the glass door to Stage 4 for them.

"It's _Tawni_,and just so that you know, and this was Sonny's idea." Tawni said, annoyingly. Chad ignored her comment, and turned to Sonny. "So, Sonshine, what brings you to Stage 4 today? Wanted to come visit your _Chaddy_?" "No, actually we're going to the basement to look for twinkle lights for the prom. How do we get there?" "Ah, well, all you have to do is go down the elevator, and- Ah, Loganberry Smoothies! Oh, Flemming! Come bring the Loganberries over here!" Chad yelled with a chin-up gesture.

Then a butler, dressed in an orange suit came over to them, carrying a tray with three yellowish-orange orange smoothies.

Tawni looked over at Chad. "Hey, Chip, what's with the orange suit?" "Oh, didn't you know? Today's Loganberry day. You _always _wear orange on _Loganberry _day." Chad replied with a smirk. "Whatever. _He's so weird._" Tawni said to herself.

"Oh, Flemming! Please show M'Ladies to the basement." Chad called out to the overworked butler. Flemming returned with a solemn face. "Thanks, Chad. See you tonight!" I called out to my boyfriend. He replied to her with a side-grin and a wink.

Flemming pressed a button with Chad's face on it, and the elevator immediately opened. "Flemming, why didn't you press the regular elevator button?" I asked him. "It's Mr. Cooper's button, Ma'am. The elevator _always _opens up when you use _Mr. Cooper's _button." He replied in an English accent. "Well, _that's_ weird." Tawni retorted.

Then they stepped into the plush elevator. It was adorned with a small chandelier and a huge, framed Mackenzie Falls poster. "Now _this _is what I call an elevator!" I exclaimed. That was the only thing said as they awkwardly rode down on the elevator.

Once they reached the basement, the elevator dinged, and they stepped out. It was a huge contrast between the plush, luxurious elevator, and the musty, gray basement. Lining the wall of the basement walls were silver storage units, that reminded me of jail cells, and many doors to other rooms. We walked over to the storage units, and I walked along, skimming the doors for some kind of indication of where they would keep the set pieces.

"Aha!" Tawni said from across the room. I went over to her, and read the paper taped to the unit's door aloud:

_Mackenzie Falls Set Pieces_

_Please ask Security for key card_

"Awe, man! We have to go up _again?" _Tawni exclaimed. "Me and Mrs. Munroe will stay here. You can go get the key." Flemming told Tawni. "What? WHY DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING?" Tawni complained, as she stomped over to the elevator and pressed the button. Then she hopped in, and pressed the button for the first floor.

When she was at the top floor, she started to look for the security desk, but couldn't find it. Then, after 5 minutes of looking without success, Tawni decided to go find Chad, and ask him where it was. He does practically live there, after all.

"Hmmm…..where could I find Chad? I start looking at his dressing room." She said to herself. She yelled out his name as she made her was to the dressing room. Then, when she stopped yelling for his name for a second, she thought she heard his voice inside the janitor's closet, so she backed up a little bit, and put her ear to the door to find out what he was doing.

"Yeah, I can't wait either."

_Ok, So he must be on the phone. _She thought _I wonder who he's talking to._

"Yeah, I know, I know. I'll just have to dump my date tonight."

_Oh, no! He's gonna dump Sonny tonight!That little two-timing cheater!_

"Yeah, babe. Just a sec; I thought I heard someone calling my name."

_Aaahhh! He's coming! I have to tell Sonny!_


	3. Chapter 3

"I am so excited for the prom tonight!" exclaimed Sonny as she fluffed her hair one last time. "I know, and girl, you look gorgeous!" replied Tawni, as the two girls sat in Sonny's orange, yellow, and purple room.

"You really think so?" Sonny questioned as she looked at her dress in the mirror.

"I know so!" assured Tawni.

"Well, I just hope Chad will like it. You know, Tawni, I haven't seen him since that day when we went to the Stage 4 basement for decorations. It was a bummer that he had to miss our date last Saturday, so I want this night, this dress, this….everything to be perfect."

"I'm _sure_ tonight will be a hit. Now, turn this way so I can do your makeup."

"_Fine, _but your next."

The finished product was beautiful; Tawni was in a hot pink bubble dress (of course), her hair sporting a half-up, half-down style, topped off with a diamond headband. Sonny was wearing a magenta, full-length gown with diamonds accenting its one-shoulder neckline. Her hair was fixed in cascading curls, fashioned in a way that accented her chandelier earrings perfectly. Both she and Tawni were carrying matching silver clutches.

"Whoa."

"Who would've thought that you- I mean _we_ could look this good!" exclaimed Tawni, pretending that the horrible remark didn't almost come out of her mouth. Soon the girls heard a _ding dong, _and Tawni peeked her head out the door to see who it was. Then she closed it quickly. "Sonny, I present to…..my date!" exclaimed Tawni as she flung the door open, revealing an unexpected visitor. "James Conroy? But- but" gasped Sonny, speechless. The couple chuckled. "Surprise, surprise, Sonny!" James said sarcastically. Sonny hated this guy, remembering the way he pretended to be _her _perfect boyfriend, just to dump her like all his other former girlfriends. Tawni warned her not to get involved in a relationship with him, her being one of his exes, and now, here they were dating again! Sonny was _furious_- but she knew that this night was almost as important to Tawni as it was to her, so she wouldn't let it appear that she was annoyed.

"James Conroy? What a surprise! Well, I sure haven't seen _you_ in while!"

"Sonny, it worked out _perfectly_! I needed a date, and James said he was free for tonight!" exclaimed Tawni.

"Oh, honey, I just remembered that I made dinner reservations for us at Olive Grille in precisely," James checked his watch, "15 minutes. We'd better get going if we want to get seats by the fountain!"

"Oh James, you're the sweetest! Sorry, Sonny, but we'd better leave. See you later!" Tawni said as the pair left.

Sonny sighed as she plopped carefully on the couch. Then she saw her mom exiting the kitchen. "Sonny, is Chad here yet?" Connie asked.

"No, not yet, but James an Tawni just took off.

"James? Who's James- Now, Sweetie, don't tell me that you mean _James Conroy _is dating Tawni again!"

"I'm afraid so," sighed Sonny, "But I guess we can't control Tawni's life and decisions."

"True. So when's Chad gonna be here?"

"I'm not-" suddenly they heard a knock on the door, "I guess that answers your question." Sonny said with an excited squeal.

"Oh, M'Lady! Your little Chaddy Waddy's here!" Chad said from the other side of the door, a little bit anxiously. All of a sudden, Connie dashed from the couch to open the door, and before Sonny knew what was happening, Chad was in front of her, helping her up from the couch. Once she was standing, she smoothed down her dress, and looked up to meet Chad's gaze, smiling. "Wow. Sonny, you look….wow." Sonny blushed. "And you, Mr. Cooper, don't look too shabby yourself." She said as she looked at his black tux, gray dress shirt, and black tie. "Well, shall we go?" Chad proposed. "Oh, not too fast, you two. You know a mother can't go without a small photo-op!" Connie said, putting her arm out in front of them. "Fine, but make it quick." Sonny sighed.

After Mrs. Munroe was content with all the pictures she took, Chad and Sonny were off. Chad led Sonny into the elevator, and once they were in the limo, he reached for Sonny's hand, gently stroking the top of it. "Have I told you that you look beautiful tonight?" Chad asked. "Yes," she said with a little giggle, "Many times." She smiled. She was completely content.

_This really is going to be a perfect night…with a perfect guy._

Or was it?


	4. Chapter 4

"Thanks a lot for the dinner, Chad. Are you sure you don't want me to pitch in for the bill?" Sonny asked as her and Chad were walking into Condor Studios.

"Nah," he replied. "You forget that I'm a teen heartthrob, don't you?"

"Yes, and speaking of which, here comes another obsessed fan." She told Chad as they looked over at a 12 year old girl hyperventilating. "I'm sorry, Sonny. This will just be a second." Chad said with a will-you-ever-forgive-me smile. Sonny sighed.

The girl handed Chad a Sharpie, and Chad took out yet another photo of him, which he never seemed to run out of. Then he signed the photo, and her mother insisted that they have a picture together. The first one was just of the two smiling together. _Ok. So far, so good. The girl still hasn't done anything drastic…yet. _Sonny thought.

Sonny heard several '_Oh Chad, I love you'_ s and _'You're sooo cute' _s, but that was to be expected. But then, then Sonny's heart started to pound when the mother asked for one more picture, and she saw Chad lean over and kiss her. She was furious. _If this is just one girl, I wonder how many girls he kisses a day._

Then the mother practically dragged the girl back to their car, the girl's hand on her cheek as she babbled on to herself about how sweet and generous Chad was.

"Sorry, Sonny." Chad said as he reached for her hand. When their hands touched ever so slightly, she moved hers away. Then Chad, not really noticing, reached hand over further to where hers was, and grabbed it. Then, when Sonny realized that Chad had took her hand, she jerked it out of his grasp.

"Sonny, why won't you hold my hand?" Chad asked. Sonny fast walked ahead of him with no response.

"Sonny, why won't you answer me? Don't be ridiculous."

"Shut up, Chad! I'm not being ridiculous."

"Then why won't you let me hold your hand?"

"Chad, it's…it's…it's nothing. Just forget that anything happened."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Chad asked as he put his arms around her.

"I'm fine, it's nothing."

"Ok, now let's go have some fun!" he exclaimed.

"Whoa! I didn't know you could dance like that!" Sonny told Chad as they were making their way off the dance floor.

"Yeah, well my mom made me take classes when I was, like, six. Apparently it looked good on a resume."

"Well, then your mom is my hero. I thought that you, being your prideful self, would make us sit against the wall, in fear that your horrible dance moves would wound your image."

"No way! I know M'lady like to dance. Would you like some punch?"

"Of course."

And with that, Chad went off in search of the punch table. _Hmmm… what should I do now? _She thought. _Maybe go find Tawni and James. _She decided. She started looking across the dance floor, but didn't see them there. After a clean sweep of the room, she found them over by the snack table with Chex Mix on napkins in their hands. She tapped Tawni on the shoulder and said, "Hey Guys? How's it going?" Tawni turned around and looked pleased to see her. "Pretty good! Where's Chad?" she asked. "He went to go get some punch for us. How was dinner?" This time James answered. "Oh, the breadsticks were AMAZING! We got perfect seats-" "Sweetie, will you please excuse us? I need to talk to Sonny for a second." Tawni asked. "Sure." Then Sonny gave her a questioning look. "Listen, Sonny, there's something really horrible that I need to tell you and this is probably the worst time possible , but you have to believe me. The truth is…


	5. Chapter 5

"The truth is that…that…umm…" Tawni stuttered. The suspension was eating away at me.

"What?" I yelled. Suddenly I realized how loud I was; the music shut off and everyone turned around and stared as the lights flickered back on. I sware you could hear a pin drop right then. I could feel my face turn bright red and splotchy like it always does when I'm embarrassed.

Then Tawni blurted out, "Chad's cheating on you." , realized what she just said, and awkwardly ran out of the room with James following close behind. Then I looked over to where Chad was standing; he turned around with his mouth wide open, staring at me with an apologetic look.

Then, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks; _Chad's cheating on me. He's dating another girl who's probably a TON better than me. He been lying to me, and now…..we have to break up. _Then my eyes filled with tears, and with a quick sob, sprinted to the bathroom in full throttle.

As soon as I got to the bathroom and locked the stall door, I started to cry hysterically. _Why would he do this to me? Didn't he say he loved me? _ I lost track of time as it slipped away from my grasp. I ignored every text message I received assuming they were mostly from Chad. I was aware that Mom was wondering where in the world I was, but I couldn't get myself to get up from my spot on the bathroom floor, leaning against the stall door. There were girls who came and went, but I didn't really care; after all, they all saw what happened in the gym.

Then I started hearing quiet voices outside of the bathroom:

"Where's Sonny?"

"In here."

"Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'll go check on her."

Then the bathroom door opened, and I heard the _click-clack _of footsteps echoing through the room. Then I heard a comforting voice from behind me. "You ok, sweetie?" "Mom…" "Sonny, it's 1:30. Why don't we go home." "I guess." Then I opened the door and my Mom got up from her crouching position. Then she put her arm around me and escorted me to our beat-up 2001 Accord. I leaned against the cold window as we drove off, reflecting on the situation, and examining my heart.


	6. Chapter 6

I didn't sleep at all that night. When I wasn't sobbing into my poor pillow, I lay staring at the ceiling, thinking, wondering, waiting. It was a moment like this when my mom stepped into my room at about 4:00 am.

"Sonny, its obvious something happened tonight, and I want to know. I've heard you, and it kills me to see you this miserable."

"Mom, I don't want to-"

"Was it a fight with Tawni?"

"No. Of course not."

"Honey, I need to know so that I can help you."

"Just give me a little time. Please?"

"Fine, but I want you to tell me what's up in the morning."

"K."

Then mom left the room. I wanted to tell her, really; I just needed to think things out a little bit. I had to figure out how to face Tawni, Zora, Nico, Grady, Marshal, and worst of all…._Chad. _Chad; the name still sat in the bottom of my mind like a deflated balloon. The name felt forbidden to come out of my mouth, like a bad word. But, still, those four simple letters made my heart flutter, like a dream too perfect to forget… like the way I felt when I was 10 years old and marveling at the fact that somewhere out there was a guy who cares about me and thinks I'm beautiful. But then, Chad_, _the man that broke my heart and didn't run after me to fix it.

All night I had these…these…flashbacks. It felt like a movie to me. I would suddenly think of my first day in Hollywood, when he signed my autograph saying, 'Thanks for the yogurt', or the time we stepped out of the apartment window, only to see a giant billboard stating that he was a fool for me. _I can't believe it. All that junk was just a lie; a way to get a pass through the Hollywood 'baggage check'. A way to be able to do what he wants, while using me as a shield from paparazzi. I can't believe I was so naïve as to think he would've changed that much. _

As I lay in bed that night, a lot of things went through my mind, but as I drained myself in a pint of Ben & Jerry's Rocky Road ice cream, I started to devise a plan. A plan that was not so much revenge, but more of just letting Chad know the misery I've been through for the last 10 hours.

:'0

The next morning, I got up at 6:00, not being able to bear being locked up in my room for another second. I walked sleepily to the kitchen, aware that I looked like a wreck, and started to pour myself a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats; the ultimate comfort food. As I flopped on the couch, I flipped on the TV to some old episode of _Jeopardy! _I had just finished my cereal as Mom came in from her bedroom adjoining mine. "Good Morning, Allison." She said in a no-nonsense way. My mom always called me by my real name when she needed me to tell her something. "Hi, Mom!" I replied in a sarcastic voice. Then she came out of the kitchen and in front of the sofa, blocking the TV from my vision. Then she said with her hands on her hips, "Is there something you would like to tell me?" "Nope," I replied, "Nothing I would _want _to tell _you_." "Now, Allison, don't be sarcastic with me. You know what we agreed on last night." Mom said in a scolding voice. "_No,_ Mom.What _did _we agree on last night? Oh, please,_ do _tell me what it was!" I said sarcastically, my voice escalating as I started to march back to my room. Then my mom blocked the door before I could get in. "You know what I mean, Allison Marie!" my mom yelled back at me. Then I ran to her bedroom, locked the door, and sprinted through the bathroom that adjoined our rooms, and made it to my room in time to lock the door, kick it, and let out a huge "UGH!". "I will give you till this afternoon, Sonny!" I heard Mom say from the other side of the door. Then I angrily yanked my closet door open, jerked an outfit off the hangers, and started changing out of my pajamas.

After I was done, I threw my hair into a ponytail, ran some mascara over my lashes, and took a quick look in the mirror. "A wreck: that pretty much describes my life right now!" I said with a sob as I looked down at my outfit: a pair of bootcut jeans, my old Camp Comedy t-shirt, and my trusty old white converse all-stars.

I almost made it out the door when Mom asked me, "Sonny, where's the pint of ice cream- Oh, don't tell me that you and-"

"Yes, Mom. Me and Chad broke up-insignificantly. Is that what you've been waiting to hear?" I said as tears filled my eyes.

"Well, Sonny, I was just trying to help."

"Mom, do you have any idea how hard it is to suffer through a breakup when your Mom's hounding you on it? Mom, he's cheating on me!" I said, sobbing at this point. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I grabbed my purse off the hook and went on my way.

On my ride down the elevator, I managed to pull myself together, taking advantage of the fact that I was the only one there. I finally felt at peace as I stepped out into the lobby. I even waved hello to the receptionist on the way. But as soon as I the automatic door swung open, I was bombarded by paparazzi and reporters. Questions were being shouted at me while Tween Weekly microphones were being pushed at my face. All I could say was just, "Leave me alone!" as ran to the door leading to the staircase and locked it with my room key. Then I ran up to my apartment as fast as I could to my loving mother's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, everyone! Just wanted to let y'all know that this is for PurpleTwilight9720's Sonny With a Chad contest!

"Mom, I don't think I can do it much longer!" I exclaimed as me and Mom sat on the couch sipping hot tea.

"Honey, I don't know what to tell you." Mom replied.

"This is the worst day ever, to be honest." I admitted.

"Maybe you should try to get your mind off of things; how about we go see a movie?"

"Sounds great, Mom, but there's no way we could get out of here without being swarmed by Tween Weekly reporters. I'm afraid we're snowed in until this all blows over."

"Well, until then, remember what we did when we were really snowed in in Wisconsin?"

"MOVIES!" They both said in unison.

"Why don't you go look in the coat closet; you might find something you like in there!" Mom said, trying to cheer me up.

Then I walked over to the coat closet, right in between mine and Mom's bedroom doors, and started sorting through the DVD rack. Hmmm… Love Actually? Too romantic for my circumstance. The Lion King? Too….I dunno…. Then my heart stopped as a boxed set of four DVDs caught my eye. I yanked them out of the rack forcefully and then turned around to face my mom. "Mom, look what I found." I said in a pitiful voice. "Mackenzie Falls? We need to take care of this immediately!" Mom gasped. Then I ran over to the window, and was about to throw it in the dumpster below, when I saw paparazzi peeking out of the bushes, and they would surely go in the dumpster to find out what I dropped in it. "Forget that idea." I said. Then Mom ran off, and returned with a small hammer. "How would this work, Honey?" Mom said with a smile. I grinned at the thought of pounding that jerk-throb's faces to bits, before Mom grabbed my arm and said, "Be careful not to hammer through the floor! We are on the third floor after all." "Alright." I agreed. Then I gripped the hammer with both hands, raised it as high as my arms would take it, and hit the box as hard as I could. "Whoa, that feels amazing!" I said. "This is for sending your stunt double on dates with me!" I dedicated as I pounded it again. "And this is for not trusting me about you idiotic fortune cookies!" Smash. "And this is for going out with another girl and not telling me!" Boom. Then I picked up the boxed set and dumped out the individual DVDs, scattering them on the floor. "You're a jerk Season 1!" Bang. "You're a liar, Season 2!" Pound. "You're a phony, Season 3!" Crash. "And, saving the best for last, you're a tale-telling, girl-snatching, big-headed moron!" Ka-bang. "C'mon, honey, let it all out!" Mom yelled over all the ruckus I was making. "You want me to let it all out? Then I ain't holding back any longer!" I said, carelessly removing the discs from their cases. "Never again, Chad!" I yelled as I started to crack the discs in two. "No!" Season 1. "More!" Season 2. "Second!" Season 3. "CHANCES!" There goes Season 4. "Never again, Chad Dylan Cooper-or should I say, Chad Dylan Loser!" I was just about to start jumping on the CDs, toddler-style, we my mom caught me. "Sonny, Sonny! Calm Down! Let's not get too carried away, Dear." "Fine, Fine. But I have to admit, that's the most fun I've had today!" I confessed. "Well, just settle down. Now why don't you just grab a DVD and go relax in your room." "Ok!" I agreed, contently. "Oh, and Mom? Let's have a no-drama day today!"

I decided on The Little House on the Prairie, Season 2. I put it in the DVD player, slipped on my sweatpants and fuzzy slipper socks, and flopped on my bed, snuggling in my leopard Blarmie (the blanket with arms!). I was just at the part where Willie chases Laura through the woods, when I suddenly heard a knock on my door. I groaned as I said, "I thought we agreed to a no-drama day! It's not hat hard to understand, Mom!" Then I threw a pillow at the door as I dug my face in another pillow, expecting my mom to come through the other way. I counted to fifteen, giving Mom the appropriate time to see that I wasn't in the mood for bad news, and leave. I was about to move back to my previous position when I felt a strong hand start to stroke my back. It can't- could it really be? What's happening? " Then I felt him gently lay his head on my back while he started to play with my hair, twirling the ends between his fingertips. "What are you doing her, Chad?" I yelled from my pillow. "Sonny, look at me." He said tenderly. "Go away!" I yelled, "I don't want to see your stupid face again!" "Look into my eyes." He pleaded. Before I got a chance to refuse, he grabbed my waist and forced me up. I tried with all my might not to gaze into his eyes, knowing that I did, I might again fall in love with a man that couldn't be mine. But then, of course, he held my chin with his thumb and forefinger, and tilted my head upward, bringing my gaze with it. Once our eyes met, his ocean blue and mine chocolate brown, we were locked in. It seemed as if we were taken into our own little world of dreams for us; as if our eyes could speak to each other. His would say, 'I still love you, and mine would reply, 'You should've thought of that before you started looking at other girls that way.' His would say, 'It's not your fault, and mine, 'Then who's is it, Chad?', while his would ask, do you still love me?' Then I suddenly realized that I wasn't wearing any makeup, and that my frizzy bed head was thrown into a loose ponytail, causing us to lose eye contact. I looked down and blushed as I pretended to be picking off the last bit of black nail polish on my left thumb. Then Chad asked out loud, "Well, do you?" I didn't know what to say, so I just walked over to the other side of the room to look out the window. "What's her name?" I said weakly. "It's, ah, Giuliana." Chad stuttered. Then Chad came over and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him. "Sonny, I wouldn't blame you if you ever forgave me," he said, his voice choking up, "but do you think we could just forget about all this and move on with our relationship?" His desperate face made me want to kiss him and say yes, but all that came out was, "I don't know, Chad." Then he went down on one knee, took my hand, and lightly kissed it. Then, he walked out the door, without turning back or saying another word.

I never forgot that kiss. It was the most tender, sweet, and heartfelt kiss I've ever received; the kiss of a man hopelessly in love.


	8. Chapter 8

I felt refreshed and ready for a brand new day at Condor Studios. I had a great night of sleep, and decided to avoid Chad as much as possible that day. All I knew is that today was dedicated to letting my best friends cheer me up while I talked things over with them.  
I walked over to my closet and started searching through my mass of hanging clothes. After 5 minutes mixing and matching, I decided on a gray t-shirt with a metallic clothespin on the front, a black, tulle skirt, a bright red  
cardigan, topped off with lace tights and black patent heels. For my makeup, I chose a jet-black cat eye with dark red lips. For my hair, I sported luscious curls. 'There; I look confident, yet happily single!' I thought. Then I had my daily Honey Bunches of Oats, hugged Mom goodbye, and was off.  
As I confidently strode into the Condor Studios entrance, something caught my attention. "Where's Chad?" I thought. "I thought for sure he would be waiting for me at the entrance; the perfect chance for me to exercise pretending he doesn't exist!"  
I was just about to walk to prop house when my curiosity overtook me: I had to find out what Chad was up to! Just then, Chastity, the Mack Falls sweetheart, walked up to me.  
"Hey, Chas! Do you know where Chad is?" I asked her.  
"So you want him back? He said you wouldn't be able to last a week without him!"  
"You don't say? Well you can just tell him he couldn't last a day single!"  
"Well, anyway, a VERY heartbroken Chad hasn't been seen since early this morning. Why?"  
"Just curious. Thanks, anyway, Chastity."  
"You're welcome."  
Then I walked over to check in his dressing room at Stage 4. When I got there, his door had a sign hanging on the door saying 'Do Not Disturb'. At first I thought he was changing, but the door was cracked open, so I decided to take a little peek. But what I saw caused me to forget the idea of a little peek.  
Chad was sitting on the couch with his arm around another girl. The girl was beautiful, with big brown eyes, silky, shiny black hair and wearing a navy blue dress and ankle-length cowboy boot heels. They were watching an old romance movie on Chad's 60" plasma TV. Then, after a moment or two of watching silence, he leaned over closer... closer... and they kissed. All of a sudden, I forgot to hold the door closed, and it swung open, fully exposing me to them. When the door loudly hit the wall, they pulled away and looked over at me. Then, realizing who I was, Chad's jaw dropped open. With a loud sob and tear filled eyes, I ran away. As I was making my run for it, I heard the girl say, "Who was that, Honey?" Then I heard Chad say, "Just hold on a second, Giuliana." I knew he was going to chase after me; that's one thing I enjoyed about Chad when we were dating: he always acted like a gentleman, despite his cockiness.

I ran as hard as I could for about 5 minutes until I found a costume closet somewhere in Stage 5, where Tween Gladiators was shot. I didn't bother to flip the light switch, just in case Chad was to walk by and see it on. I found a nice seat on a prop couch, and started crying, again, while hugging a pillow. It seemed I had gotten used to hurt, by then. Sad, right? Once Chad found me, he just stood there at the door, letting the light stream in, seeming at a loss to do. Then, I finally broke the silence. "Chad, we need to talk. Not as boyfriend and girlfriend, not as exes, and not as enemies; just…people." "I agree." He said quietly as the lights flickered on. Then he walked over to sit by me on the old couch. "So you saw?" he asked me.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm sorry."

A moment of silence passed on for about 30 seconds.

"Sonny, I know I've messed up….big time."

"You did. Only this time, I'm the one getting punished; it's costing us our relationship."

"No, Sonny; I take full blame. This is all my fault."

_Oh great. Here comes Mr. Perfect Gentleman, Just another reason to miss him._

"Well, I guess this means we're breaking up, officially?"

"Sonny, you have no idea how much this breaks my heart."

"Thank you, Chad. I'm actually _glad _this happened, or else I would've never seen the real you, so thank you, Chad, thank you."

I started to get up and leave, but he grabbed me by the arm.

"Sonny, wait."

I turned around to look at him. Then he closed his eyes and kissed me; it was a bitter kiss that stung my lips when we pulled away- but yet, I savored it. It was the last time I'd ever be kissed by Chad Dylan Cooper.

**A/N**

**Or is it?**


	9. Chapter 9

_My Dearest Chad,  
You've turned my life upside down, these last 8 years on So Random (has it really been that long?). Unfortunately, this wonderful adventure is coming to a close. You see, as you may know, tonight is the last episode of the last season of my beloved So Random. I don't really know what I'm going to do with my life, now that I'm saying goodbye to Condor Studios. Me and Mom haven't even discussed selling the apartment yet. Chad, I haven't told anyone about this yet, but I'm moving to New York and getting a job in Broadway.  
You see, Michael Mayer called me last week: he said that he is doing a revival of Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Marquis Theatre, and he wants me to audition for the part of Miss Dorothy. To be honest, I think I'm done with the bright lights of Hollywood for awhile.  
Don't get me wrong though, Chad; WE didn't plan for this to happen. We didn't even want this to happen, but the ratings went down, and... we had no choice.  
So I guess I'll get to the real reason I'm writing you this letter: you see, ever since that September night when I found out- well, you know the story- I can't stop thinking about you. I tried my best to force myself to move on and date those other guys, but they're just not... you. They don't have an ever present, cocky smirk on their face, or golden locks that blow in the warm LA breeze, or the sparkle in their ocean blue, hypnotizing eyes.  
I can already see you nodding at this paper in agreement.  
Anyway, obviously, since there's no more So Random, there's no more Condor Studios, and if there's no Condor Studios, there's no more Mackenzie Falls. And if there's no Mackenzie Falls, there's no more seeing you-_  
I heard a knock on the door from my spot on the bare Prop House floor. I quickly folded up the letter and placed it in my blazer pocket, looking up to see who it was.  
"Hey, Kiddo. Time to go." Marshal said with a sorrowful sigh.  
"K, Marshal. Be right out." I replied.  
Then I resumed my letter:  
_ I heard about your engagement to Giuliana Santoni, and... I hope you guys have a nice life together.  
Well, I guess this is goodbye... forever. But if you ever decide to pay me a visit, you know where to find me: 1535 Broadway, New York, New York.  
Your Not-So-Enemy,  
Allison Marie Munroe_

Then I sealed the paper in an envelope and gave it a big smooch, leaving a pink lipstick mark on the seal. As I walked down the hallway, something caught my eye; lots of men in blue jumpsuits were carrying white columns, cloth covered seats, and flowers walking into a room near Stage 4. _Oh, Great. I forgot Chad's wedding was _today_! Hmmm… maybe I'll just sneak in and take a peek. _So that's what I did. As I did, I saw all of Giuliana's friends dressed in their hot pink bridesmaid dresses walk into the room also, so I discreetly followed. We all walked into the Mack Falls library set, all decked out in pale pink seats and Pepto Bismal pink and dark purple cloth banners.

_You _would_ have your wedding on the Mack Falls set, Chad. You would._

We kept on walking until we got behind the set and into a closed off space separated by black curtains. As I poked my head in, I saw Giuliana's dark haired, snotty little family all dressed in pastel colored dress clothes; Men in baby blue suits and women in light pink, knee length dresses. Then I saw it: the showstopper. There came an angry Giuliana dressed in a gown that oddly resembled a puff pastry, every nook and cranny covered in frills and rouching, poofed out to what seemed like four feet long….and then her hair; Oh, that hair was teased and sprayed till' at least a foot high with frizzy waves on the bottom. A small diamond tiara was somehow clipped into the front of the poof, and a 5 foot veil was attached to the back.

_Honestly, Chad. I think you can afford something much classier than this._

She was yelling at the poor little bridesmaid in front of me for being late to the rehearsal dinner last night. I decided it was a good time to leave. Then I left the set area to the hallway where the Stage 4 dressing rooms were. I saw Chad's dressing room door cracked open, so I looked to see what he was doing. I saw Ferguson, Skylar, and his dad all dressed in black suits, blue ties, and pink rose boutonnieres. And then I saw him: I single tear welled up in my eye as I saw him turn around; his hair was gelled and spiked up as usual, but his blue eyes glistened as he pinned his boutonniere to his jacket collar. I suddenly wondered what it would be like to stop the wedding from happening.

Well, I would stand and call out to him saying, 'Don't say 'I do', and run away with me now. You can meet me at the set's back door; we'll figure something out. Just please don't say your vows and hear me out; after all, I did says _something_ when the minister said 'Speak Now.'

But I shook that dream right out of my head immediately, knowing it could never happen. I finally forced myself to leave that spot, and headed back to the ceremony room. I found a nice seat at the Stage 4 door, and sat down. I looked over to see Giuliana and her dad standing and waiting for it to start. Fond gestures were exchanged as she gave a hug to each of her bridesmaids and a kiss on the cheek for her father. Then the 'organ', or should I say sound system, started to play _Canon in D_, which sounded more like a death march to me. The bride started to walk arm in arm down the aisle with her father, following the bridesmaids, and I decided to sneak behind a purple curtain for a better view, knowing, obviously, that I wasn't invited by Giuliana, and therefore couldn't be seen in the open.

As she floated down the aisle, she resembled a pageant queen, softly waving to the room, while still keeping her eyes on Chad, and it made me want to burst out laughing. You could tell Chad was embarrassed by the way she was acting, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wished I was walking down the aisle in her place. It was at this moment that I wish this weren't happening; that something or some_one _would stop it from happening. I stood there for a while, the thought still haunting me, the dream I wished to be reality. Then it got to the part I had dreamed about for weeks, and I felt like fainting.

The minister raised his voice, "Anyone who is opposed to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." My heart was racing at a million miles-per-hour. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: _Sonny, this is it. This is your last and only chance to stop the man you love from marrying that ridiculous little twit. So what if Chad hates me for eternity; I'm never gonna see him again. You have to do it…now. _I forced my shaky body out from my little hiding spot. Everyone stared at me, but I zoned out and all I could see was you. My shallow voice squeaked out a little, 'I', but then people started taking out their camera phones, so I decided to get it over with. I cleared my throat, and belted out a clear, confident, "I do." Everyone gasped, especially Giuliana and her guests, but Chad's parents looked surprisingly relieved. Then I continued, "Don't say 'I do', and run away with me now. You can meet me at the set's back door; we can figure something it out. Just please don't say your vows and hear me out; after all, I did says _something _when the minister said 'Speak Now'." Then I turned to the guests, " You see I can't _forever hold my peace_ because _I_, unfortunately, am still in love with your little groom here." I saw Guiliana give Chad a death glare. "Now, I know what you all are thinking, 'Chad's cheating on Giuliana with Miss Wedding Crasher', but it's not his fault. Now, you can feel free to procede with your precious little ceremony, but I thought I'd let my feelings be known. Now go on." I said, stepping back. I didn't make it far before Chad said, "Wait, Sonny." I turned around on my heel and faced him with a hopeful expression. "You're right. I finally realized that I've been chasing around for another girl when the _real_ love of my life is standing about 8 feet away from me. Then he whispered, 'I'm sorry' to Giuliana and kissed the top of her hand, walking over to face me. "Thank You, Sonny, for having the courage to do something crazy like this. Without you, I would've had to live the rest of my life with-" he pointed to Giuliana as she groaned and stomped her foot, "Well, self explanatory." Chad said with a grin. "Oh, and by the way," Chad said as he lifted my chin up, yet again, to gaze into his eyes, "I love you, too." Then he kissed me, and I couldn't have been more content. After that, he reached over and took his letter out of my hand, and read his name on the front. "Sonny, what's this?"


End file.
